THE RH BILL 5043

With the foregoing considerations, it would not be morally permissible to vote for candidates who support anti-family policies, including reproductive health (in the particular understanding being presented in the recent debates, which includes, among others, promotion of abortifacients, penalties on parents who do not allow their adolescent children to engage in sexual acts, etc.), or any other moral evil such as abortion, divorce, assisted suicide and euthanasia. Otherwise one becomes an accomplice to the moral evil in question. A Catechism on Family and Life for the 2010 Elections, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, January 2010

THE DEATH PENALTY

Finally, we believe that the abolition of the death penalty is most consistent with our faith in Jesus and in the merciful God whose face He has revealed to us.  While in the Bible, we find texts that allow legitimate authority to impose the death penalty,  we  find  the  even more pervasive picture of a God who does not wish the death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted and live (cf. Ezek. 18:23).  The Lord Jesus himself laid down in life that sinners might live.  In the only case in the gospels where our Lord was asked about his opinion on the imposition of the death penalty on a woman who, according to the Mosaic Law deserved  to die, he  refused to pass sentence on her, and saved her from certain death (cf. Jn. 8:1-11). CBCP Statement on the Non-Restoration of the Death Penalty, 24 July 1992

TOTAL GUN BAN AND PROGRESSIVE DIARMAMENT

All sectors of the Church must actively work for an end to the manufacture and production of the technology of death and the arms trade as part of the Church’s vision of peace. Acts and Decrees, Second Plenary Council of the Philippines

The  enforcement of the gun ban, so that no persons may carry guns in public places unless they are persons in authority,  and (for regular policemen and soldiers)  wearing  their uniform. CBCP Statement on the Non-Restoration of the Death Penalty, 24 July 1992

GAMBLING

Therefore, the CBCP has made it a collective policy: (a) To denounce illegal gambling in all its forms and prevent its legalization; (b) To combat the expansion of organized and systemic legal gambling; (c) To refrain from soliciting or receiving funds from illegal and legal gambling so as not to promote a culture of gambling; and (d) To encourage church personnel and church institutions to refrain from doing the same, even when the objective may be that of helping the poor.  Today the CBCP renews its commitment to combat the growing culture of gambling in our country by faithfully adhering to the policy its members had collectively agreed upon. CBCP Statement on Gambling, 23 January 2005

POLITICAL DYNASTIES

Our Constitution describes public office as a public trust meant for the good of civil society at large.  Yet many a politician looks at it as a means of enrichment and a source of influence and power for self- and family-enlargement.  It hence easily becomes considered and actually treated as some sort of private property to be passed on from one generation to another in the manner of a feudal title–the perpetuation of power that is at the base of so-called “family dynasties.”  In this manner no distinction is made between public funds and private money. CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics 1997

The growth and proliferation of family political dynasties in many provinces and cities which only serve to institutionalize more intensely the concentration of power and unsavory economic opportunity in the hands of the few. CBCP Statement: “Reform Yourselves and Believe in the Gospel (Mark 1:15), 27 January 2008

FULL PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF ALL GOVERNMENT TRANSACTIONS

The biggest culprit and major cause of our nation’s poverty and hunger is graft and corruption which has invaded all public and private institutions. Corruption is the abuse and misuse of public or private office to unlawfully enrich oneself and those close to him, or induce others to do the same (ADB). It is not only an economic and social problem but by and large a moral issue and a moral problem… Corruption is a social and moral cancer!… ”In the strongest term we condemn graft and corruption as an offense against society and sin against God. God will certainly hold the perpetrators accountable. To combat this evil we also proposed the formation of citizens’ councils to promote public awareness, to monitor the use of public funds, and to initiate charges against guilty officials” (CBCP “Let Integrity Flow Like a Stream” July 7, 2003)… “Moral accountability calls for radical reforms in various agencies of government to make them more responsive to the requirements of integrity as well as to the needs of the poor” (CBCP “restoring Trust.” July 10, 2005, no. 10). “We strongly condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political order” (CBCP “Seeking the Truth, Restoring Integrity” Feb 26, 2008). Corruption – A Social Moral Cancer, CBCP News

PORK BARREL

The constitutional principles of separation of powers and of checks and balances among the three departments of government are, on the one hand, abused to create deadlock for political mileage; and, on the other hand, conveniently set aside on occasion for reciprocal advantage.  Thus, for example, to entrench themselves in office or to promote their political future, those in the Executive Department cooperate with Congress in padding the government budget with all kinds of pork barrel items–the Countrywide Development Funds, for example,  congressional insertions, the special funds in the public works bills–for the disposition of politicians and the discretionary funds of the President…The system is shot through and through with opportunities for corruption, influence-peddling and the indiscriminate use of public funds for partisan or personal purposes. CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics 1997

AGRARIAN REFORM

The problem of food insecurity needs to be addressed within a long-term perspective, eliminating the structural causes that give rise to it and promoting the agricultural development of poorer countries…. All this needs to be accomplished with the involvement of local communities in choices and decisions that affect the use of agricultural land..…At the same time, the question of equitable agrarian reform in developing countries should not be ignored. The right to food, like the right to water, has an important place within the pursuit of other rights, beginning with the fundamental right to life. It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination…” (Encyclical Letter, Caritas In Veritate, Of The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI, On Integral Human Development In Charity And Truth, N◦ 27, Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, 29 June 2009). Statement of Appeal to the Government of the Philippines , July 12, 2009

FOREST LANDS AND NATIONAL PARKS

Since 1988, a number of new threats to our environment have surfaced. In this reflection, we will confine ourselves to the following: (a) irresponsible mining, (b) illegal logging, and (c) global warming and climate change… The Church joins in the collective and continuous call against the uncontrollable plunder of our natural resources. Above all, it calls on a moratorium on mining activities until the government and the mining companies learn to uphold the right of the indigenous peoples, compensate the affected communities for past damages, and ensure responsible mining practices… The problem of illegal logging is an extremely complicated issue that must be dealt with by all stakeholders.  The CBCP calls for an enhanced multisectoral cooperation, and the implementation of effective measures to clampdown the illegal logging trade.  In particular, it urges the government to issue a total commercial log ban and intensify efforts to rehabilitate and reforest logged over areas, particularly those places vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides and floods… We pray that the government, in making economic and political decisions, would always consider that true stewardship does not mean economic gains for the powerful few. True stewardship is the constant and continuing work for the benefit of all… No material gain can equate the value of life.  Every Filipino depends on the environment. Because of the threats against these fragile resources, our lives and livelihood are likewise threatened. Our present and our future must not be made to depend on programs that offer short-term gains for a chosen few. Our responsibility to our mother nature is our responsibility to ourselves. Upholding the Sanctity of Life (20 years after the CBCP Pastoral Letter What is Happening to our Beautiful Land ?), 5 November 2008

CHARTER CHANGE

Therefore, once again we say that the people themselves must collectively voice their decision in a referendum, but only after thorough discussion, analysis, and discussion.  We invite the people to rethink the matter of constitutional change seriously and consider first the common good and the future of Filipino children. Statement of Appeal to the Government of the Philippines , July 12, 2009 – Counter…the proposal through Con-Ass to allow foreigners and foreign corporations to own and control agricultural lands and other natural resources of the country. CBCP Statement on Charter Change

FOREIGN DEBT

Our external debt was generated not only by global mechanisms seemingly beyond our control, but also by internal decisions and activities for which persons in our country are responsible… We would also want to address those who have held or hold economic and political power whether by their actions, decisions and omissions in the past and present, they have not aggravated the economic conditions in our country and lessened our moral leverage in the debt negotiations.  What moral leverage do we have during negotiations for the reduction of our debt if it is known that we do not check the practices of graft and corruption within the vital sectors of our society? CBCP Statement on the Foreign Debt Problem, 19 September 1990

VISITING FORCES AGREEMENT

We are at present in the midst of a controversy regarding the VFA or Visiting Forces Agreement.  Like all Filipinos we are concerned about this agreement for it concerns the common good toward which every member of the political community should contribute… Above premises considered, the VFAas it presently stands should be rejected… If it is going to be renegotiated, all the ambiguous details mentioned above should be clarified… Any final agreement must have the character of a treaty made between two sovereign nations, not between a master and a lackey. Pastoral Statement on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), 13 July 1998